Exercises Scheduled for Friday, August 9, at 7 p.m.
WILSON, N.C. —Sean Bulson, superintendent of Wilson County Schools, will be the featured speaker at the third annual Master of Education Commencement Exercises of Barton College scheduled for Friday evening, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m. in Hardy Alumni Hall. Dr. Norval C. Kneten will preside over the commencement program as president of Barton College. Dr. Gary Daynes, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, will present the third graduating class of 11 teacher-scholars who will be awarded the Master of Education degree with a specialization in Elementary Education. Dr. Jackie S. Ennis, professor of education and dean of the School of Education, and Dr. Ann Carper, assistant professor of education and director of the Master of Education Program, will perform the Hooding of Graduates. Master of Education degree candidate Amber Bone Brewer of Wilson will deliver remarks on behalf of the graduating class.
The Master of Education degree candidates include:
Aiken, S.C. — Monique Telita Ware.
Garner — Leigh Anne Penny.
Greenville — Rachel Lynn Croasdaile.
Louisburg — Mary Michelle Sledge Harris.
Portsmouth, Va. — Linda M. Clifford.
Rocky Mount — Amber Bone Brewer, and Tanya Lauretta Arrington.
Selma — Wanda J. Mourer.
Wilson — Annie Snipes Gilbert, Michele Dail Kennedy, and Nancy M. Stamper.
About the speaker —
Bulson took the helm as superintendent of Wilson County Schools in July 2011, and he quickly distinguished himself by encouraging academic rigor, emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning, infusing more technology into classrooms, fostering partnerships with business and civic leaders, and forming advisory committees with parents, students, and community members to build strong relationships. Everything Bulson has done in his tenure coincides with the Wilson County Schools’ mission to provide an educational environment, which creates success for all students through the community working together.
He believes that collaboration is the key to student success. Rather than create a strategic plan for Wilson County Schools, Bulson decided to broaden the scope outside the realm of academics. He currently leads the community in a Youth Master Plan initiative. This plan brings educators, parents, community members, nonprofits, businesses, churches, law enforcement, and government agencies all to the same table to support students from birth to 21 years old and beyond. The plan focuses on five areas: safety, health and wellness, out-of-school time, workforce development, and K-12 academic achievement. Bulson acknowledges that a plan like this might not be a good fit for every community, but he believes Wilson possesses both the collaborative spirit and the commitment to its children to make this a success.
Bulson began his career in education in 1995 as a teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). He later served as a high school principal, director of school performance, and community superintendent in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland prior to moving to Wilson with his wife and daughter.
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